Broken Road
by mystic roses
Summary: The end of Tristan and Rory has always been a mystery to everyone; even to Tristan himself. But years later when their past seems to be forgotten, an unescapable situation arises which will either bring them together or drive them further apart- [comp.]
1. These Days Go On

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Dedication: This story is dedicated to my best friend Liz for being a really cool chick =) also for being an sb…or was it an mb ?

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Disclaimer : We do not own Gilmore girls, nor do we intend to, but we do own any original characters

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Rating: PG-13 though it might go as high as R. There _may_ be some minor swearing in chapters.

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Pairing: Trory of course! 

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Summary: The demise of Tristan and Rory has always been a mystery to everyone; even to Tristan himself. But years later when everything seemed to be all forgotten, an unescapable situation arises which will either bring them together, or drive them further apart. - Sorry if this summary doesn't make sense but if u read on with the story you'll get what I mean =) –

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Authors Note: Hi everyone. Its me Kay. I was locked outside my house for 2 hours. The obvious boredom I suffered during that time caused me to come up with this idea and to finish this chapter in record time.

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As for **Life's Endeavours, **the next chapter should be out as soon as Liz and I figure out a day that doesn't involve homework or test studying. Anyway, on to the story…

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Broken Road

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Prologue

The feeling of utter exhilaration ran through Rory Gilmore's body as she sprinted past the looming oak trees; the pain she felt through the soles of her shoes wasn't going to stop her from reaching the destination.

__

'Almost there,' Rory thought as she saw the familiar sight of a larger-than-large tree that overlooked the beautiful lake she had grown to love so much. She slowed down as she reached the tree, taking a moment to catch her breath but the sound of the pitter-pattering of feet brought her back to the reality of her current situation. As a course of action she immediately hid behind the tree…waiting…

It wasn't too long until the expected cry filled the air,

"Rory !"

The sound of Tristan's breathless voice caused the smile on her face to become full-fledged. She knew she'd have to quit the game they were playing but she was determined to have one last laugh.

Before she knew it, she was behind Tristan's back, about to let out a boisterous 'boo' that was sure to scare the shit out of him.

But he knew her too well.

He turned around to grasp her hand in attempt to halt her actions but unfortunately she was in the process of leaping forward. It caused him to go off balance – and fall into the lake. The only form of satisfaction that came out of it for him was the fact that he managed to grab Rory's hand just in time for her to be dragged into the lake with him.

Temporarily underwater, Rory came up to the surface to find a very dishevelled and very sexy Tristan laughing loudly. She smiled and inched her way closer to him; close enough that their bodies were only centimetres apart. She placed her lips on his in an attempt to shut him up but the moment their lips touched she longed for the familiar feeling of one of their usual, passionate kisses. Tristan, as if reading her mind, pulled her into an embrace and so began one of their frequent, often lengthily, makeout sessions.

When they finally pulled apart, Rory rested her cheek on his shoulder while keeping her arms wrapped around him. A comfortable silence fell upon them as they stood, glued to the spot, a moment longer.

"I love you so much," Tristan whispered, breaking the silence. Rory lifted her cheek from his shoulder to look him straight in the eye as if what she was going to say was really important.

"I love you too…" she began, 'you know I would never do anything to hurt you right ?'

"Of course I do," he said with conviction before adding a moment later,

"What brought this on ?"

Rory circled her arms around his waist and rested her cheek back onto his shoulder. 

"Nothing," she replied quietly.

Tears welled up in her eyes then flowed freely down her face, unknown to Tristan who thought the dampness on his shoulder was from the recesses of the water in the lake; the lake in which they were still standing in...

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Chapter One: These Days Go On…

Rory's eyes flew open to pitch darkness and the feeling of a cold hard slate on her forehead. Hazily, she tilted her head back to figure out just exactly where she was. As the blurriness of a morning wake subsided, she realised that she wasn't in her apartment-- but in her office.

She had stayed the night once again.

The frequent overnight stays in her L.A office had forced her to buy extra furniture and to move it into what she liked to call her 'second home'.

The piercing sound of an alarm caused her to become fully awake. She cursed herself for even purchasing such a contraption but then did a double- take as she remembered it was a gift from her ever-so-lovable but oh-so-insane mother.

Sighing, she felt no energy to reach across the desk and turn it off so she did the first thing that came to her mind and hurled a pencil at it which was hidden very conveniently behind her ear.

But it was to no avail.

She reluctantly got up from her chair and turned it off then made a b-line towards the door knowing that on the other side of it lay the pot of gold; the coffee maker.

She walked over to it and was halfway filling the cup when the voice of her boss filled the supposedly empty building.

"Rory," Megan Trescot, editor of Illustrious magazine said through the doorway of her office, " I have something really important to discuss you so please limit your stay at the coffee maker for less than 5 minutes and when you're done come inside so we can attend to the matter."

Rory tensed at the serious sound of her boss' voice but made no hesitations in agreeing. She quickly poured the rest of the coffee in her cup and made her way to the room with a slight feeling of dread coming over her.

* * *

A mountain load of paper work lay before 25 year old Tristan Dugrey as he plopped down in his armchair to press the button of the intercom,

"Speak"

"Mr. Dugrey, Charlotte – I mean Mrs. Dugrey—no actually I mean your _mother_ is here to see you," Veronica the new secretary replied.

Groaning, Tristan played with the idea of refusing but the fact that he knew his mother very well made him think otherwise.

"Send her in," he said with a sigh.

A moment later Mrs. Dugrey charged through the door in her Manalo Blahnik's and designer wear outfit and placed a newspaper on her son's already full desk.

"Congratulations honey," she began, " You made front page."

Confused, Tristan swiped the newspaper from his desk. The look of shock graced his features as he read aloud the headline on the page,

" 'Tristan Dugrey of Dugrey Enterprises is set to marry billionaire heiress Vivienne Westmore of Westmore Corporations.' "

Tristan placed the paper down in disbelief.

"I cant believe this ! Its only been - "

"- a day ?" his mother interrupted. Tristan continued to stare at the paper while Mrs. Dugrey made no intention on stopping, "What can I say ? News travels fast."

"Not unless they had a reliable source."

Charlotte chose to ignore her son's directed insult and continued on,

"Honey, you know I only want what's best for you _and _this company…"

"Yes mother. Go on…" Tristan said, hinting her lead on.

"So what better way to raise your profile and this company's image by being in the country's best selling magazine –"

"Mother you know I don't care about my image," Tristan tiredly interjected.

"Yes," Mrs Dugrey said indifferently, "but I'm sure Vivienne cares about hers"

Tristan dejectedly leant back in his chair signalling his defeat. His mother chose this as the perfect moment to press the matter further.

"Think about it. The magazine will get it's sell out 'Billionaire wedding of the year' special while our company _and_ Vivienne's wreak the benefits of this good publicity."

Trying his best to relax and sound calm Tristan nodded his head in agreement before saying,

"I've agreed. Now if you don't mind," Tristan said getting up to kiss his mother on the cheek, "I would really like to be alone to process this all."

"Bye darling," Mrs Dugrey replied as she turned around to head towards the door. Halfway there she was halted in her tracks with Tristan's impending voice asking,

"By the way, what's the magazine called ?"

She turned around to face her son's looming figure, standing in the middle of the room, as if in deep thought. She simply replied,

"Illustrious magazine."

* * *

The eerie silence that filled the room was too much for Rory to handle. Impatiently she started tapping her fingers on the edge of her seat.

"Relax Rory, you're not in trouble," Megan reassured her with a smile, "if anything, I'm here to praise you. You have immense talent"

Rory visibly relaxed and leant back in her chair. " Why thank you'

"But-"

" - But ?"

"But," Megan repeated, " You're stories have been- how can I put this-" she paused to try the right word, 

"-_depressing_"

"Depressing ? I don't think everyday situations should be classified as depressing."

With an arched eyebrow, Megan steadily replied,

" Suicide, abortion, _nuclear warfare_-"

"-OK I get the point. So I don't write happy stories. Is there something wrong with that? "

"Actually, there is. You should be writing front page stories."

"Megan, I write what I feel is important. I don't care if my stories aren't front-page news."

"Please Rory. All I'm asking is for you to give it a go. It wouldn't hurt to do one _happy_ story right ? A _wedding_ story perhaps ?"

Rory thought about it for a moment and realised she had nothing to lose.

"OK fine. A wedding story shouldn't be too challenging "

"So you accept? " Megan meekly asked.

With a sigh, Rory replied, "Yes …I accept. So when do I start ?"

"Great! You start in 4 days. You're going to need that time to pack so…"

"Pack ?" Rory questioned, "Where exactly am I going ?"

"New York," Megan said excitedly.

Rory just nodded, unable to think of anything else to say.

"So you know what your job is right ?"

"Yeah… to interview them on how _in love_ they are and how many kids they want," Rory replied, sarcasm evident in her voice.

" Not only that. You're going to documenting the whole lead up to the wedding which is in 4 months time."

"4 months ? I'm going to be in New York for 4 months ? "

"Yes. Having second thoughts already ?"

"Yes-I mean-_no. _Its fine with me," Rory reassured her boss with a fake smile before continuing, " so who is the couple you are willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for just to make a silly documentation of their wedding ?"

"Money well spent my dear. This is the biggest story of the whole year"

"And they are…?" Rory pressed on.

"Tristan Dugrey and Vivienne Westmore"

At the mention of Tristan's name Rory's face considerably paled as a wave of nostalgia filled her thoughts.

He was in the past.

It was over.

She hurt had him bad and she knew that even til this day, he still hasn't quite forgiven her.

The sound of Megan's eager voice interrupted her contemplation,

"Trust me Rory. You will not regret this."

It was too late. She already did.

* * *

tbc

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Authors Note 2: So what do you all think ??? I'm open to all opinions…= )


	2. Long After You've Gone

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Disclaimer : We do not own Gilmore girls, nor do we intend to, but we do own any original characters. Also the titles for the first two chapters were taken from the **Bardot **song 'These Days'

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Rating: PG-13 though it might go as high as R. There _may_ be some minor swearing in chapters.

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Pairing: Trory of course! 

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Authors Note : Well, what can I say ??…I was _really _overwhelmed by the amount of reviews I received coz I honestly didn't expect to get that much. A big thank you to everyone that has given me their opinion so far. I really appreciate it =) …As for this story, I have all the ideas planned out since the beginning so its now just all a matter of putting it on paper. Ok enough of me babbling, here's chapter 2…

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Broken Road

Chapter 2: …Long After You've Gone

" Arghh!! "

A frustrated scream escaped Rory's mouth for after 4 feeble attempts at trying to shut her suitcase she realised that she was going to have to either take some of her valuables out or bring an extra bag. With her belongings all holding equal amount of importance, she understandably found the second option more attractive.

"Iwin ! I just _knew_ it wouldn't fit.! " Lorelai's distinctive voice rang through the speaker phone.

"Fine. You win mom but I could've sworn –"

"- Pshh…Enough with the excuses. Its time for you to pay up. "

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the phone from the holder, walked over to her apartment window then yelled at the top of her lungs,

"L. A sucks!!… Stars Hallow rules!! " 

She immediately closed her window and spoke back into the phone, 

"You hear that just right mom?"

"The polar bears from Alaska can hear you Rory."

"You have _got _to come up with better material and better bet-losing consequences while you're at it. "

With an exaggerated sigh Lorelai replied, "You're right. But honey, you always _lose. _If only you started winning bets then I'm pretty sure I'd have more classy material to torture you with. "

Despite herself, Rory let out a soft laugh into the phone, loving every second spent talking with her geographically- distant mother.

"I miss you mom,' Rory said with a touch of sadness in her voice.

"But you wont for long!" Lorelai emphatically cried. "When you're in New York you'll only be a couple hours away from us and who knows… you might even find a cute guy friend there."

Rory could practically see her mother winking on the other side of the phone. Groaning she dryly replied, "I'm not looking for anyone at the moment and its not like I have the time seeing as my job is always keeping me on my toes."

"But Rory, you haven't dated anyone in 4 years. Ever since- "

"- _please _don't even mention it." Rory knew who's name was about to come out but she didn't want her mother to hear the hurt in her voice she tended to have every time she talked about anything Tristan-related. 

Though nothing could ever stop her from thinking about him.

She had no –one to blame but herself for the demise of their relationship. After all, she was the one who packed up and left without a reason; at least that's how he would've perceived it. The fact is, she did have a reason but if she had any choice in the matter, she would never let him find out what. It would just cause too much conflict.

All she would ever want him to know was that she did it for him.

***

It was a long, tiresome day for Tristan and all he wanted to do as he reached the door of the apartment he shared with Vivienne was to fall back onto his bed and have a good night sleep. Not even the sight of Viv blatantly making out with another man was going to stop him. Its not like he hasn't seen it before.

As he reached his bedroom, he unceremoniously plopped down on his bed, shoes and all, intent on dozing off. That was not to be as the sound of two people going at _it _could still be heard.

"Would you guys keep it down there!! " Tristan yelled, his drowsy feeling starting to wear off.

Seconds later, Viv emerged through the door as she sat herself down on the bed beside him.

"Aww…What's wrong sweetie? " she playfully said, "Jealous are we?" 

That was all it took to remove any last feeling of weariness in his body. He sat up to face his future wife and evenly replied,

"Not even close. You know our relationship is strictly for business purposes"

"Touche. Though that shouldn't stop you from actually having fun. "

"So you want me to constantly play tonsil hockey with random women? "

"_No._ I'm asking you to live a little. Just in case you forgot, were going to be _married_ in a couple months and correct me if I'm wrong but I predict that our whole married life is going to be a bore because lets face it, I don't love you and I'm certainly past trying to get you to love me. "

The silence that followed her statement urged her to go on,

"Have your fun before we get to the altar because when we get there, there's no turning back; its for real. " Vivienne paused to tuck a stray piece of blond hair behind her ear, "I promise you Tristan, my sleezing around is going to stop as soon as we get married. I expect you to be doing the same."

"Of course. You have my word," Tristan mutely replied.

"Vii-iv," a manly voice rang out from the hallway. 

Getting up from the bed, she walked towards the door but it wasn't without leaving one last comment,

"If you're holding out because of Rory then I suggest you forget about her. She's in the past Tristan. Shes gone…"

***

"Only one kilometre more to go," Rory chanted to herself as the taxi neared the airport. She had been tempted many times to tell the driver to turn the other way around but thought better of it as she realised she could lose the one thing keeping her sane; her job.

After so many years trying to avoid Tristan, here she was, heading towards an airport to see him –_and_ Vivienne who's beautiful face had been seen graced on every single cover of every major magazine. 

She was the envy of every woman on the planet. She had everything. She had Tristan.

The unfamiliar feeling of jealousy took over Rory then quickly disappeared as realisation dawned over her.

She was unprepared. 

She knew she couldn't just waltz back into his life and expect him to act as if nothing happened.

He would want an explanation.

***

"Mr. Dugrey, the representative from Westmore Corporations Media Division is here to see you again," a more confident sounding Veronica said over the intercom.

"Send him in, " Tristan absently replied with a dart in hand, intent on landing it on the bulls-eye. He was just about to throw it when in walked Jess Mariano with a stack of papers.

"Your dad's company is in its final stages of securing the deal with Westmore and I just wanted to come here and run by some of my ideas on improving the New York Times," Jess said indicating to the proposal in his hand.

"Now is not a good time," Tristan grudgingly replied.

Jess walked over to the man who obviously got off on the wrong side of the bed. He took a dart from his hand and resumed speaking,

"What's up your ass today? Is it that time of the month again? "

"Shut up Jess. As a matter of fact, there's a lot going on." He was about to reply but Tristan continued on,

"-For instance, my whole family is relying on me to seal the deal with Viv's company. Its like for goodness sakes its my _dad's _company not mine. And speaking of Viv, I am actually _scared_ to go intomy own apartment for every time I come home I'm afraid that I'll interrupting one of her _sessions_ with these, these- _guys_ whose names she probably doesn't even remember. And you know what? To top it all off I have to meet with that _journalist_ person tonight. "

All that was heard after Tristan's little outburst was the sound of a seemingly inaudible sentence from Jess,

"Gee, your life is perfect"

"Yep," Tristan surprisingly heard, eyes focused once again on the centre. He threw the dart that was still in his hand and it landed right on target.

" Perfect "

***

2 days have passed since Rory's arrival into the airy confines of New York and when she wasn't thinking of what to say to Tristan, she was actually enjoying herself. Megan had provided her well. She had all the adequate equipment necessary and a very nifty chauffer to drive the limo that would become her means of transport. 

The ringing of the telephone interrupted her contemplation as she walked across the huge expanse of her hotel floor and into the dining room where the phone was held.

"Hello? "

"Hey Rory !" came the over-enthusiastic reply of Megan, " How's the Big Apple so far ? "

"Noisy but in a weird way, its kind of relaxing " 

"Don't get used to that feeling because as of tonight, you're starting work "

"Tonight?"

"Well, you're not going to actually _start_ but what you will be doing is getting the formalities out of the way and introducing yourself. You know the drill.

Rory knew this was moment was going to come but it surprised her nonetheless and it showed by her lack of response.

"Umm…Rory are you there? "

"I'm still here "

"Good to know. So…I think you're going to actually need their _address._"

"Of course. It would just be silly to not know the address of where I'm going," Rory said under a nervous laugh.

After she jotted the directions down and got off the phone, she steadied herself on a nearby chair and mentally prepared herself for the evening.

" It'll be fine."

***

"It'll be fine." Rory found herself chanting 5 hours later as the elevator dropped her to the floor of their apartment. She reached into her coat pocket to pull out the piece of paper that contained the room number,

"1 0 2 ," she said in a low whisper while scanning the whole floor. A few paces later, she was there.

Taking a huge intake of breath, she unwillingly brought a shaking hand to press the doorbell. A moment later, she heard the sound of footsteps nearing the door.

The eyes that were determinedly focused on the sight ahead of her, dropped abruptly to the ground at the sound of the door swinging open. When she finally found the nerve to look up again, she found the face of the guy she had been trying to forget about for years.

"Hi Tristan."

For a moment there, Rory could've sworn she saw a look of happiness in his eyes but it quickly disappeared leaving her to think it was a figment of her imagination.

What she was sure she did get was the sight of his silent, steady glare and the unmistakable sound of a door slamming on her face. 

*** 

t b c


	3. We still stare while the wheel's fall of...

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Disclaimer : We do not own Gilmore girls, nor do we intend to, but we do own any original characters. Also the titles for the next two chapters were taken from the **Motor Ace **song 'Carry On'

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Rating: PG-13 though it might go as high as R. There _may_ be some minor swearing in chapters.

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Pairing: Trory of course! 

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Author's Note: This chapter was originally one _whole _chapter but it got a bit too long so I decided to separate it into two parts. Anyway I hope this part would give you a _little_ inkling as to what happened between Tristan and Rory.

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Broken Road

Chapter Three: [part one] We just stare while the wheels fall off…

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[F l a s h b a c k]

Tristan gazed at the diamond-encrusted object that lay before him. At the end of the night it would hold either one of two meanings; eternal happiness or deep regret.

This ring held his future.

He closed the box with a resolute click then walked across the room to Rory's bedroom window, intent on passing the time until she came back from wherever she was.

With an arm cast casually on the ledge he rested his gaze upon the starry sky as the cool, night wind breezed right past him. After many minutes of thoughtful studying, he came to the realisation that the stars looked just like idle fireflies.

He smiled at his inane observation but it disappeared as he saw the unmistakable alignment of the stars. He _really_ didn't have a particular interest on astrology but Rory managed to give him a good teaching about it on one of their frequent midnight rendezvous. He knew enough to know that when the stars were lined up they were lining up at the moment, it meant bad things were sure to come.

" Its beautiful isn't it? " came the strangely distant voice of Rory, standing in the doorway of her room.

"Yea…It looks just like- "

"- fireflies," she completed for him.

Tristan tore his eyes away from the sky and shook his previous thoughts out of his mind. He smiled at their natural connection as reached out for her hands saying,

" I have something to ask you"

"I have something to tell you," Rory responded, releasing her hands from his grasp.

"Okay. What I'm about to ask can wait…' 

Silence bestowed upon them as Tristan eagerly awaited for her to speak.

"I got offered a job in L.A. I'm going to accept it. "

Somehow, it just didn't seem to sink in to Tristan's brain and all he could manage to let out was a disbelieving:

" What?! "

Rory moved a step closer to try and explain but Tristan just backed away.

"I can't believe you didn't even tell me about this! Let alone the fact you even got a job offer. Does being your boyfriend for 3 years mean _nothing _to you_?"_

Rory did her best to stay calm but her emotions betrayed her as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Of course it does! Tristan, the reason why I never told you was because I _wasn't _going to accept it –"

"- then why change your mind ? " he frantically interrupted, "I just don't understand. Everything is just so _right _for us right now. "

With a shaky breath, Rory convinced herself to steadily reply, " I'm about to finish college in 3 months. If I accept this job, I'm on my way to becoming what I've worked _so _hard for. Without it, I'd have nothing…"

"…you have me"

" no, that's just it Tristan. I can't rely on you my whole life. I need to venture out, try new things."

"So where does that leave us? "

By now, the tears were flowing freely down her face as Tristan watched on, wanting so much to engulf her in a hug and to tell her it'd be OK but he was physically paralysed to do such a thing.

"You know long distant relationships never work,' came Rory's soft reply.

"So it's over?"

Slowly but painfully she motioned her head up and down signalling her agreement.

"I'm so sorry Tristan…" She reached out for his hand but he immediately pulled away heading out the door and out of her life.

When the sound of the main door being shut was heard she uneasily backed up against the wall and ever so slowly, slid down to sit on the ground.

She didn't care that she was sobbing uncontrollably or that her body could not stay still. All she could think about was what she had just done.

It was time to let it all out -- and time to tell her.

Shakily, she got up and walked over to her phone and dialled the number. 

"Hello? Mrs Dugrey ? "

" Rory "

"I did it. I broke it off with Tristan."

"Oh I'm so sorry," came the fake sympathetic reply.

"I bet you are." And with that, Rory hanged up.

***

Charlotte Dugrey smiled for the first time in days as she got off her mobile phone.

"She did it. " 

She reached out to her side to where the mini-bar was located and poured herself a glass of wine. She raised it up to the only other passenger in the limo,

"Cheers"

"Here's to new beginnings, " came the sly voice of Vivienne as she too raised her glass and sipped the intoxicating liquid.

"OK where to now?" the chauffer asked from the driver's end.

"Why, back to New York," Charlotte airily replied, "Our business is done here in Star's Hallow"

***

Still parked in her driveway, Tristan fought the urge to get out of his car and beg her to stay. He knew that was really desperate but he would do anything when it came to Rory. What stopped him was the fact he believed that was what she truly wanted.

Instead, he gazed back up into the sky and realised he was right; something bad did happen.

He didn't want to think about it anymore for the feeling of great hurt weighed down on him. Without a moments thought, he backed out of her driveway and drove off. Completely forgetting about a certain something he left behind…

***

Placing the phone back in its cradle, she somehow found the strength to walk back over to her bed. She had no intention of sleeping that night but the vision of the soft layers of blankets and pillows seemed more attractive compared to sitting on the cold, dirty floor.

With a hand to her head, she attempted to sit down on it but immediately springed upright at the feeling of a small, hard object. She turned around to see what it was and found a black box. Curiously, she fingered the casing then opened it a moment later.

What she found made the tears that had previously disappeared, resurface.

It was a ring.

It was an engagement ring.

***

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[ P r e s e n t D a y ]

Rory stood, glued to the spot, unable to comprehend what just happened.

__

He slammed the door.

Her confused mind tried to convince her she should be mad but her conscience got the better of her and told her she deserved it.

She knew she did.

When her thoughts stopped to bring her back to reality she realised she was here for her job and nothing else. She mustered up all her courage to give the bell one last ring. Instead of seeing the expected, angry face of Tristan, all she saw was the demure presence of his fiancee in his place.

"Hi Rory. It's nice to see you again,' Vivienne said, extending her carefully manicured hand. Rory accepted it and with slight hesitation replied,

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met"

The corners of Vivienne's mouth slightly upturned giving a smirking effect.

"Really?" Before Rory could voice her confusion the other lady added, "I'm sorry to inform you but Tristan is unable to talk because we're going through a family crises at the moment He needs his rest so I guess now is not an appropriate time to arrange some private high-school reunion with him."

"But I'm not here to see _Tristan. _I'm here to do my job."

"You're the journalist? "

"Yeah I am. 

"Well then…" Vivienne trailed off before continuing, "I'll be right back." She turned her back on Rory leaving the door slightly ajar. With that open space she could hear the muffled sounds of people talking. When she was sure that she heard footsteps heading towards her, she quickly stepped back to her original spot.

"Well…now is still not a good time but would it be alright if you can come back tomorrow at around…let's see…" Vivienne momentarily paused before saying, " I have a board meeting in the morning, then I'm going to be visiting my dad in the hospital at around six so would three-thirty be alright with you? "

Eager to leave, Rory readily agreed. "I'd be there. "

"Great. Until tomorrow…" and with that, she closed the door just as Rory let out a pent-up breath.

"Until tomorrow," she quietly repeated.

***

On the other side of the door, a very agitated Vivienne came bursting through the living room where an understandably shocked Tristan sat, staring at nowhere in particular. 

"You better get your act by tomorrow because I'm certainly not making any more excuses for you."

Tristan stood abruptly to pace around the room. "I can't take this. They have to re-assign her," he said heading towards the phone to ring the editor but was halted in his actions by Viv.

"I thought by now you'd actually be over this but your display out there has showed me otherwise. Its been _four _fucking years Tristan. She's certainly over it, I mean, why else would she have the nerve to show her face to you "

Vivienne's words struck him hard. She was right. He convinced himself that if she managed to get him out of her system then he should be over her. What made it more easier was the fact was that he _knew _he was over her. But still --there was just this feeling that never goes away…

As he snapped out of his daze, he managed to say something before she exited the room.

"Thank you"

Vivienne gave him a rare, genuine smile then retreated back to her room to prepare herself for her own personal battles she was sure to experience the following day…

***

"Owwww!"

Rory grabbed her left foot and hopped around the room like an Energizer Bunny, hoping for the pain on her toe -caused by the unpredictable fall of a hair drier- to go away.

She was already thirty minutes late for her job and was about to make it another thirty if she didn't leave soon. When the pain finally went away, she quickly dressed herself and put on her shoes then headed straight out the door, not even bothering to give herself a second glance.

She had no time for an elevator so she made a dash for the stairs. Apparently she wasn't the only one in a hurry as the sight of a dark-haired man came zooming right past her and was already making a descent of the stairs. The man look familiar, the man looked like –

" Jess? "

He heard someone mention his name midway through going down another step. He inadvertently turned around to see who it was but lost his balance then fell four steps away to the nearest platform with a thud.

Rory just stood at the top of the stairs in disbelief. _'Did I just do that ?'_

The low moan that escaped Jess mouth finally made her grasp the reality of the situation; he was hurt.

"Jess I am so sorry !" she cried as she reached his lying figure; face distorted in pain as he clutched onto his right ankle as if holding for dear life.

"Rory ?" he managed to let out.

"No time to talk," she hurriedly replied as she helped him slowly get up. She then reached out for his arm to place over her shoulder for support. Noticing the pained expression on his face as he limped the few steps they were making she determinedly announced,

"You're going to the hospital"

At this moment, she would've called her interviewees and told them she would be running a bit late, if it wasn't for the fact that she didn't have a clue what their number was.

They were just going to have to wait. 

***


	4. But everyone seems to carry on

****

Disclaimer : We do not own Gilmore girls, nor do we intend to, but we do own any original characters. Also the titles for the next two chapters were taken from the **Motor Ace **song 'Carry On'

****

Rating: PG-13 though it might go as high as R. There _may_ be some minor swearing in chapters.

****

Pairing: Trory of course! 

****

Author's Note: Well, well, 2 updates in one week. Pretty surprising, even for me =)…Anyway here's part 2…its not _as _long as the others but essential nonetheless. Thanks again to all your lovely reviews…it means a lot to me! 

****

Chapter Four: [part 2] …But every one seems to carry on 

" This is unbelievable! " Rory unashamedly cried out. " We have to wait an _hour _or two? Can't you _see _this guy is in pain?"

"Join the queue, " said the receptionist indifferently, indicating to the large amount of people seated with Jess in the waiting area.

Defeated, Rory stomped back to her seat.

"It's OK. I'll be fine – just as long as I'm sitting down. We can actually use this time to catch up…I mean, the last I've heard of you was that you were making a name for yourself in L.A which leaves me wondering…What _exactly _are you doing here in New York ?"

"I'm on an assignment. I'm covering the story of Tristan and Vivienne's wedding." Rory replied, trying her best to sound unaffected

"You're the journalist?"

"Yeah I am"

"You're OK with that ?"

"Yeah _I am_."

"Are you sure because- "

"-Jess, enough with the questions already," Rory interrupted with a hint of laughter. "I think we've heard enough about me. Let's delve into something _interesting_ like… how have you been doing ?"

After various conversations, with a few phone call breaks in between, the hour or so spent waiting, went by and before they knew it, Jess' name was finally called out for the doctor to attend to.

As the nurses helped him up to the room, Rory walked beside him and re-ignited a conversation with her newly acquainted friend.

"Why were you in such a hurry back at the hotel ?"

A slight smile played on his lips at the mention of the question. " I was running late on meeting my 'tardiness hating' girlfriend. I apparently got the wrong floor that's why I took the stairs."

"Girlfriend ?" Rory asked in surprise.

"Yeah…I have a feeling you know who she is. Paris Gellar sound familiar ? "

"_Paris_ ? _The _Paris that once intimidated a guy to transfer to another school ? That's…unexpected but… a nice match," she re-assured him. 

"Well I don't blame you for being surprised. We only got together the day we found out we had more in common than just matching insults. You know, now that I think about it, she has kind of changed."

They reached the room and Rory was about to state her opinion when a voice from behind her completely contradicted his statement,

"What the hell did you do to my boyfriend ?"

"It's nice to see you too"

Dressed appropriately in business attire, Paris rushed to her Jess' side.

"It's OK. I'm probably just going to need a couple bandages, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Paris asked, her voice considerably more tender, "Because if you're not, I'll kick her ass"

"Excuse me?," Came Rory's objection. But she went unnoticed.

"This is going to put my two day visit to New York remarkably uneventful," Paris jokingly said.

"So you don't live here? " Rory questioned.

Paris finally glanced up to notice Rory. "Yeah, I have no stable home. My job disallows me to have one."

"But Jess lives here?"

It was now Jess' time to talk. He gave a sheepish grin to his girlfriend then turned around to face Rory. 

"We're living proof that long distant relationships work."

As soon as he said it, she gave the happy couple a seemingly genuine smile; disguising the fact that a huge ache filled her heart.

***

It was now seven o'clock.

Tristan had all but given up for the arrival of Rory. 

Vivienne was out to see her dad in the hospital, so he was all alone—and bored out of his mind. His momentary lapse led him to one of the few things he shared with Viv-- the bookshelf. He then picked up the first thing he saw,

"David Copperfield…,' he said quietly as he sat down on the couch to absorb himself into the book. Before he knew it, he was thinking about the girl who managed to change him more than once…

When they first started dating, she brought a whole new light to him. She made him laugh. She made him smile just at the sound of her voice. She also made him realise that the old cliché of rich boys being unable to love was completely untrue.

Ironically, she was also the person who changed him again into the person he was today: a bonafide Dugrey; cold and unemotional.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and silently berated himself at the fact that a mere book was enough to make him start thinking about Rory again. He got up to find another source of entertainment but the sound of the doorbell made him change directions and head towards the door.

__

'Must be Vivienne' he thought to himself.

He thought wrong.

"Please don't slam the door on my face," said a very flustered Rory.

"About that…"

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time but only Rory elaborated "…that I'm late"

Checking his watch and hoping his apology wasn't heard he carelessly replied, "Four hours to be exact"

"Im really sorry, its just that my _friend_- "

"-it's OK. We can reschedule –again. _If_ that's fine with you of course."

"Yeah fine," Rory replied a bit too enthusiastically, " Just call to make an appointment"

Tristan agreed with a nod with his head then tried to think of something else to say. Luckily Rory spoke first,

"I think I should go now"

"I think so too"

Feeling a little hurt at his obvious want to get rid of her, she turned around to leave without a further word but Tristan unexpectedly stopped her,

"You know, you didn't have to come over and tell me this. You could've told me the next day…I would've understood."

She locked her eyes onto his serious gaze and gave him a sad smile.

"I know"

***

Rory walked into her hotel room feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It was due to the fact that he actually spoke to her beyond the expected monosyllable sentences and that he _didn't _slam the door.

She reached the living room and suddenly got the chills. Following her senses, she found the source of her sudden coldness;

The window was still open.

Rolling her eyes at her incompetence to remember simple things, she walked over to it and was about to close it shut when she noticed the evening sky. 

She knew it would give her bad memories but there was something about seeing the sky in a different location that was just so intriguing.

Despite several inner protests, she allowed herself to be taken in --and allowed herself to remember.

"Just like fireflies…" she whispered.

On the other side of New York, little did she know that another troubled soul was also staring up at the stars; the stars that were hidden beneath a blanket of the evening clouds.

"Just like fireflies," he too whispered.

***

****

Authors Notes 2: Hey there. Its become customary to write something at the bottom but I realise that this time that I have nothing to say. Ummm…tell me what you think so far ? Yea.. there that should be enough..=)


	5. Foolish

****

Disclaimer : We do not own Gilmore girls, nor do we intend to, but we do own any original characters. Also the titles for the next two chapters were taken from the **Motor Ace **song 'Carry On'

****

Rating: PG-13 though it might go as high as R. There _may_ be some minor swearing in chapters.

****

Pairing: Trory of course! 

****

Important Authors Note: This whole chapter is a **flashback. **It takes place where the flashback of **Chapter Three **left off so if you forgot what happened in there I suggest you read it over again.

****

Also this chapter is going to explain fully what happened between Tristan and Rory and why she broke up with him. There is also going to be a flashback within this flashback. I really hope that makes sense =)

****

Broken Road

Chapter Five: Foolish

Rory's room

With the lights closed and the room devoid of any noise, Rory lay awake as she continued to stare at the white nothingness of the ceiling.

She was never going to get to sleep. Not after what she just did.

Finally tearing her focus away, she rolled onto her side and furiously tried to blink back the inevitable tears. 

Those spoken words…_ 'I don't love her. I wish I'd never met her '…_played in her mind over and over again becoming like annoying broken record.

Abruptly, she rolled again back to her original position and subconsciously stared at the sight ahead of her. The previously white ceiling slowly filled with images in her mind from the events of this unforgettable day…

***

****

[ Previously that day ]

Rory halted her SUV with a resounding screech at upcoming traffic lights. The nerves she felt was evident as she continually tapped her jittery fingers on the steering wheel.

As the lights turned green, she pushed the accelerator and sped off. While she drove in a mechanical trance, her thoughts drifted elsewhere…her thoughts drifted to the sequence of events that led her to this position –_and to _the person who caused it:

Mrs. Charlotte Dugrey

She was the cause of Rory's out-of-character happiness.

She was the person who told her to give up everything Tristan and her had so that his future could go ahead according to plan.

To convince Rory, Charlotte repeatedly told her that she was an obstacle, a burden; if not to Tristan, then definitely to his family. 

She gave her the unfair ultimatum that if she really, _truly _loved him the way she said she did, then she would give up her own happiness to secure the well-being of his future – and the fate of Dugrey Enterprises. The fate lay in the merger with Westmore Corporations and when that is complete it will undoubtedly become the most powerful company that could easily match the prowess of their rival Time-Warner.

All of that was explained to an initially disbelieving Rory. She felt no choice but to agree believing that she could seriously jeopardise his future.

From then on it was understood. Rory was to break up with Tristan without him knowing the _real _reason for if he were to find out, the outcome would be obvious. Both Charlotte and her knew that if he were to choose between Rory and his family, he would without a doubt choose Rory. She knew breaking up with him would be easier said then done.

And she was right.

A week had passed and she couldn't do it.

Two weeks had turned into a month and still she couldn't bring herself to utter those words that would lose him forever.

The invisible clock was ticking and as the time grew, so did Mrs. Dugrey's patience.

Yesterday, in fact, marked the 3 months since the agreement and _still_ it wasn't fulfilled. Rory remembered the heated conversion that took place and it was then that she convinced herself that she couldn't drag it out any longer and that she had to do it soon. With surprising determination, she decided that she was to do it the following day – which of course it was now.

What she hadn't counted on was the surprise occurrence in the morning – that _moment_ in the lake when she had solemnly promised Tristan that she would _never _do anything to hurt him.

Something inside her clicked and made her think _nothing_ was going to stop her from keeping her word – not even Tristan's mother.

She realised what she was about to do was very selfish as she was virtually sabotaging 'the plan' by staying with Tristan – but she could live with the guilt if it meant being with the guy she loved.

Rory remembered that as they finally got out of the lake, she rushed into her car to take out her cell phone and then headed towards a deserted area giving Tristan a seemingly convincing excuse. Choosing a spot by the bushes, she dialled the number and waited for the other line to pick up. She wasted no time to get to the point when she was sure someone picked up.

"I'm not going through with it. I just cant do it "

Rory half-expected a proclamation of hatred but surprisingly she got the sound of a calm, slightly condescending voice, _" I had a feeling this would happen…Luckily I was prepared. "_

__

"You were ?" Rory questioned with a slight trace of fear.

" Well, I have a little something that might make you change your mind "

"Well that **something **is worthless because nothing will "

"Don't be too sure. Now, where can we meet so I can let you see what this little something is ?"

"Umm…" Rory hesitated, unsure if she should accept but the overwhelming feeling of curiosity made the decision for her,_ " Stars Hallow. 8 o' clock. Kirk's movie shop. You'll find it because it's the only store in town with those flashy neon lights. "_

"Fine. I'll be there "

And that was what led her to the position she was in now; conveniently parked outside Kirk's store. As she saw a looming figure come out of a limo, she knew straight away that it was Mrs. Dugrey. As she too got out of her car and inched her way closer to her, a certain question played in her mind and raged her fears:

What on earth could she possibly have that can make her change her mind ?

***

Two women stood face to face on a deserted pathway. Anyone who was there to witness the meeting could have easily seen the obvious contempt they held for one another. When the older woman lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head, the conversation was ignited.

"This is your last chance to agree to break up with him," said Mrs Dugrey in a defiant tone.

"Nothing you can possibly do can make me change my mind," Rory steadily said, which in contrast, matched her serious face.

But it was all a lie. 

Hidden beneath her calm composure lay a nervous wreck, vulnerable to whatever Tristan's mother had to show.

"So be it then," Charlotte said with a sigh. She reached into her coat pocket slowly to pull something out. Instinctively, Rory took a step back thinking it was a gun. It just all made sense to her. What better way to resolve the situation by eliminating the problem in the first place ?

Luckily, to Rory's relief, a weapon could not be seen but instead a black rectangular box was pulled out – a tape recorder to be exact.

Charlotte held it out in front of her, " Do you want to the do the honours of pressing play or shall I ? "

"You do it," Rory managed to let out in a whisper.

"If you insist. " At her instruction, she pressed play.

Rory strained to hear the muffled voices but she was sure that two people could be heard talking on the tape. One was obviously a female – she could tell by the high-pitched, confident voice. 

And the other was Tristan—a very drunk sounding Tristan to be precise.

Finally the muffled sounds turned into clear voices. What she could hear was Tristan and the other girl talking about they wanted out of life. Tristan replied saying all he wanted was to be happy. To start a family with the girl he loves – and hopefully live up to his parents expectations.

Rory smirked at the fact that _this _was what Mrs Dugrey had to show her. Was this supposed to be affecting her? Because if that was the intention then Charlotte had considerably failed.

But then the tape kept on going.

The girl then haughtily refuted to Tristan's statement saying '_You cant honestly say you love this Rory girl can you? ' _

What Tristan was to say next, was going to send Rory's mind into a whirlwind.

__

' I don't love her. I wish I'd never met her,' came Tristan's adamant reply. And then, the tape stopped.

Shock understandably registered through Rory's emotions. _'He was drunk' _she repeatedly told herself. But common sense got the better of her, _'Drunk or not, how could he say such a thing?' _

In a completely mute state, she stared at the floor, determinedly avoiding Mrs. Dugrey's face for she was sure she would be able to see a smug grin plastered on it. 

" I have to go " Rory hastily said, already heading towards her car. When she got in it, her shaky hands fumbled for the keys. Frustrated that she couldn't place it in the keyhole, she resigned to leaning back on her seat with a sigh.

Who was she kidding ? It was never going to work. If a plot like this was going to be used to continually try to break her and Tristan up then she would save everyone the trouble by going ahead with what was originally planned. 

No matter how much they loved each other, they were never going to escape the powerful wrath his family held. 

She knew it was time to break the news to Tristan who was still at her house, wondering where she went off to.

This time she was a hundred percent certain she was going to go through with it. 

***

** **

Rory's room

It was painful just thinking about what happened next. The look on his face when she gave him that petty excuse on why they had to break up was an image that she would rather forget.

She felt stupid that a drunken proclamation of his feelings for her was what finally gave her the nerve to break up with him. 

She should have done it earlier. It would've avoided her from hearing what she did. 

Although she would never admit it, she took the words to heart .She took it to heart because she couldn't help but feel there was some truth behind it. 

Then unexpectedly, Rory abruptly sat upright to register her thoughts.

How foolish was she to think that after _everything_ they've shared?

He would never say that. There just had to be something behind that tape and she was determined to find out what. She glanced at her alarm clock on the dresser beside her.

It was 2 a.m –but she didn't care. She was going to call Mrs. Dugrey and salvage the little truth the tape held. She felt that Charlotte owed her enough to be honest with her now that she had broken up with him. But even if she did it was never going to make up for what she made her do but at least she would be able somehow rest more easily then she had this night if she knew the truth. 

Walking towards the phone and dialling the number she was a bit surprised to hear her immediately answer.

"Hello ?" Charlotte said with no trace of tiredness in her voice.

" Did you hire someone to impersonate his voice ? Or did you edit a few bits here and there to make him say that ? Whatever it is, I _want_ to know," Rory replied fiercely.

"Oh, believe me, he said that alright. But you missed a little bit of the tape. You see, you were in such a hurry to get back to your car that I didn't get a chance to let you hear the end of it," said Mrs. Dugrey in a falsely innocent tone, " Would you like to hear it? "

Rory was about to agree straight away but the fact she was so scared that what was about to be heard was going to be negative, stopped her from doing so. Instead, she thought about it for a moment and realised if she didn't find out, she would spend the rest of her life what it could've been.

"Okay then…" came her belated reply. She heard the click of the play button and the familiar conversation,

'_You cant honestly say you love this Rory girl can you?'_

' I don't love her. I wish I'd never met her...' 

There was a pause which made Rory think that there was no more to the conversation and that Charlotte only replayed it to hurt her even more…but then for the second time that day, the tape surprisingly went on… 

__

' …I try to tell myself that every single day. I mean, it would just make life so much easier wouldn't it ? But – I cant…Shes everything to me. She's worth risking my whole business future for. She's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with…'

Even though he was influenced by alcohol, Rory could still hear the hint of soberness that made the words truthful. And its with that revelation, which made her go into a state of shock for probably the billionth time that day.

"Now I know you will never breath a single word to Tristan about any of this because if you do, then what will Tristan think when he finds out that _you_ didn't _believe _in him --or his love for you. That you broke up with him because you thought he _actually _meant that. We wouldn't want that now would we ?" said Mrs Dugrey, filling the silence.

"no…we wouldnt " Rory replied, unable to mask the anger in her voice. 

"I don't expect for us to be speaking ever again so I guess this is goodbye. Thank you Rory. You did the right thing. "

When she heard the other line hang up, she slammed the phone with the emotion of all the contempt she felt for that woman.

"That _evil, manipulative,_ b-" but the sight of the ring beside the phone disallowed her to finish her sentence.

__

'I shouldn't keep things that's not rightfully mine' she thought with deep regret. She looked at it once again but this time saw it through a different light. She looked at it with the same amount of remorse she would only reserve for Tristan's mother.

The ring was another painful reminder of the mistake she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

***

****

Authors Note 2: I really hope that wasn't too confusing. Anyway I would like to take the time to thank everyone that has reviewed so far,

****

Char-chan, Apple-eye, Mandie, Alex, BlueBear Angel, lux, TristanLover, Hidden Identitiy, Carzy4Tristan, GirlyGirl, SapphireSkies, Louise, BabyBlue, Ellie, Samantha, SerpentireFire, Pippin3791, Marissa, Michele, SilyLily2003, m, butter, Maria, Anonymous, Jessica, Lauren, Silverbluewind, Ann, Kate, Jenna, Nazz, LilDevil, Isabel, Megan, BlackRoseAngel69, klm11a, supergirl101, MidnightSun, Debbie, Kay, KittyWhiskers, Ez, Steph, ShadowGoddess, KaylaW, Phoebe, me, spreeaholic, soconfused,coffeegal, anonymous , freakage and callie !!


	6. I Cant Help

****

Disclaimer : We do not own Gilmore girls, nor do we intend to, but we do own any original characters. 

****

Rating: PG-13 though it might go as high as R. There _may_ be some minor swearing in chapters.

****

Pairing: Trory of course! 

**** ****

Authors Note: This chapter picks up right after **chapter 4 **left off. This is where things start to get really interesting…let's just say it's the calm before the storm = )

****

Chapter Six: I can't help…

Tristan awoke to the sounds made from the early morning grind of the New YorK streets. The noise was made louder by the fact his window was still open from his brief star-gazing from the night before.

Reluctantly getting out of his bed, he made his way to the window, intent on closing it. In doing so, a grumbling protest was made from his stomach indicating that he was in desperate need of food after forgetfully skipping dinner last night.

He placed a hand over his taut stomach and grabbed a shirt with the other, walking out the door and heading towards the kitchen. His vision was momentarily blocked as he pulled the shirt over his head. When he finally could see again, he was in the living room and reasonably shocked at what he saw;

The confident, unemotional Vivienne he knew was a far cry from the one that lay before him. For she, the _queen _of self-composure, was hunched up on the couch, arms tightly hugging her legs, her body rocking gently back and forth due to her uncontrollable sobbing. 

So unexpected this situation was, Tristan had no idea what to do or say.

"uhh.. what's wrong Viv, " he finally got out awkwardly. She looked up from her tear-stained hazel eyes as if noticing him for the first time.

"My father…" she said barely above a whisper, " he died this morning…"

"Viv…," Tristan trailed off, genuine concern engulfing his features as he headed towards her, 

" I am so sor-"

"-and I think I killed him, " she interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

By now, Tristan was sitting on the coffee table across from her. Her surprising revelation took him off guard for a moment but it wasn't too long until he voiced his objection,

"That's not true. Your father has had that heart condition for as long as I can remember. You have to realise that it was only a matter of time"

"No ! " she cried out as she got up and threw her hands up in the air as if to emphasise her point, " You _don't _understand…"

Confused, Tristan intentionally remained quiet to let her explain.

"I told him something last night that got him _really_ mad and…and…"

"What did you tell him ?" Tristan pressed on, half expecting to be ignored.

Vivienne let out an audible sigh before replying, " I told him that I wanted to take over the company myself."

" What ?" Tristan cried, boring his shocked eyes at the back of her head urging her to turn back around to see if she was sane. 

" Let me repeat what _you_ have been saying to me countless times before," Viv said turning back around, " we are only getting married for business purposes, so _you_ can take other my father's company. _You _were given that honour by my dad -- an honour that I should've had…If it wasn't for the fact I was a _fragile _little girl that was _incapable_ of doing what should be rightly a mans job – or so my mother would say.

"But I'm sick of all this superficial shit. I don't want to spend the rest of my life being moulded into a trophy wife. I don't want to be unhappy… " she ended on a sad note.

"But why now, " Tristan said with all the calmness he could muster and shaking of the slight sense of déjà vu coming over him, "Why when everything is so close to being finalised…"

Vivienne shook her head slowly while pacing the room.

"I have wanted this ever since I was a kid_. _Seeing as I was the only child, it only made me more determined to succeed my father. You probably could have seen my shocked reaction when I heard the news of our parents' plan of us getting married – and for _you_ to take over, " she said in a bitter tone.

"At that time I hated you so much-- even though I didn't really know you. I wanted to ruin your dreams like you did with mine--"

Tristan was about to ask what exactly she did to ruin 'his dreams' but was halted at the fact Viv got out something first,

" – and for that you have to know how _unbelievably _sorry I am. I realised that you were much a pawn as I was in all this. I just wanted…" she trailed off unable to get out what she was about to say.

Tristan could do nothing but sit; thinking it was best to not pressure her into getting it all out. So he patiently waited for her to continue.

"…I just wanted to give him one last chance to change his mind. To abort all plans," she finally said with a slight tremble in her voice, "I knew he was really sick; close to dying…," tears started to well up in her eyes, " I thought that he would be sick enough to agree, " she tearfully let out in an almost whisper with her face betraying any emotion of guilt she felt, "but he said he didn't believe in me…I don't think anyone does…"

An empty silence filled the room but both knew that it wouldn't be for long.

"I believe in you, "Tristan said with genuine sincerity.

Vivienne averted her eyes from where she was gazing to look Tristan in the face to see if there lay an expression of mock on his features.

He didn't.

On an impulse she got up and threw her arms around him giving him a hug – which was a rare intimate gesture between them. From then on, a certain bond was formed, and although it was not a bond of any romantic kind, it was still something – a comforting understanding to say at the very least.

"Thank you, " she whispered in his ear before sadly saying, " Do you know how heartbreaking it is to have someone you love not believe in you? "

It was more of a statement than a question but Tristan answered nonetheless,

"No. I don't believe I do"

***

A whole week had passed since Rory's last encounter with Tristan and it was only until this bright, Sunday afternoon that she was given notice of a possible interview time by Tristan's secretary.

She didn't mind that a long time had elapsed since her arrival to New York and still she had no work done. Instead, she took it in her stride to find out more background information on the couple – denying to herself constantly that her intention wasn't to try and dig up dirt on Vivienne.

It was understood that this girl was more than just a pretty face. Because beneath that long blond hair, and well-defined facial features lay a girl with an intellect, which Rory could not help but respect.

"Vivienne Wesmore" she read aloud from the newspaper article that lay before her. " Born January 3rd 1986 and graduating from Yale University in 2008, she completed her business degree with distinction and top honours just like her fiancee, Tristan Dugrey, did the year before. It is believed that it was on that campus where their first encounter took place. 

"The good-looking couple are being hailed as a match made in heaven for not only do they both share the instinctive flair needed for the cut-throat world of business, they also share the common bond of being raised into a family of privilege. 

"The marriage is not only being long awaited for their undoubtedly extravagant wedding ceremony, but also for the official announcement of the merger of their companies which will be given in a press release following the ceremony.

"Many condolences are to be made to the Westmore family for today has marked a week since the passing of the beloved matriarch, Arthur Westmore…"

So caught up was Rory into the article, she didn't notice that there was only a limited amount of time to get ready for the interview. 

Aborting her focus from the paper, she hurriedly made her way to go to the bathroom to change into her 'business attire' which consisted of a smart looking ladies suit with a white shirt underneath oozing its feminine appeal. 

On her way to get there, a previous thought came into her head, which made her go and make a slight detour into her room. She headed towards the drawer to get out something in advance for the fear of forgetfulness might ruin her intention. 

It was a certain something that she was knew she'd have to give back.

It was the ring.

***

Tristan often refrained from consuming alcohol in the afternoon but the imminent presence of Rory Gilmore made him give in. As he himself poured a shot of tequila, he silently wished for the substance to calm his nerves for even though he had met Rory on more than one occasion since her arrival to New York, he couldn't shake of the slight feeling of the nostalgia from the past they once shared. 

That nostalgia was what made him momentarily lose his guard and stop him from acting like the distant person he set out to be towards her. 

But not today.

His emotions were going to stay firmly intact if he was going to get through another form of publicity shit that Rory just _happened_ to be involved in.

At that moment, the piercing sound of the doorbell interrupted his thoughts. He then gulped down the rest of his drink and walked towards the door—but Vivienne beat him to it.

" Don't worry, I've got it, " she said casually over her shoulder.

Tristan could hear the polite greeting being exchanged the two, then the sound of the door shutting indicating that Rory was indeed inside.

He then turned around to head towards a chair and as he plopped himself onto it, the two women reached the entrance of the room.

"Hi, " came the sound of Rory's eager voice. Tristan made no effort to reply but made a nod of his head signalling his acknowledgment of her.

If there was any form of hurt or embarrassment of any kind, then Rory did a convincing job on hiding it well, which was showed by her moving right along and getting out all the necessary equipment needed to start the interview.

"Let's get to work" Rory declared as she sat across from where the couple were to sit.

"What a good idea, " Vivienne replied a bit to enthusiastically as she sat herself onto the lap of her fiancee while casually draping an arm across his shoulder, " Where do you want to start ?"

Rory fumbled with the notepad in her hand that contained the non-existent notes – anything to avoid seeing the cozy picture the couple made. But if she did, she would've seen the equally shocked face of Tristan giving confused glances to the girl on his lap.

"Okay," she finally said, getting the nerve to look up again, "How about explaining on how you two first met. "

"Well, " Vivienne began before Tristan could get a word in and ruin her plans, " We first met at college. I cant speak for Tristan here but for me, it was definitely love at first sight. Unfortunately, he was involved with someone else at the time but- " she paused for dramatic effect, " they broke up—well, _she _broke up with him – rather harshly I might add. But hey, I'm not complaining. If it wasn't for her, I would never have had a chance to be with my one true love, " she continued with a big smile as she placed a lingering kiss on Tristan's cheek.

Seeing that gesture and hearing what Viv said immediately got Rory uneasy because she knew that the girl in question was undoubtedly her. And by looking at Tristan's solemn face, he knew it too.

But bravely, she continued.

"Wow…how romantic, " Rory replied forcing a smile onto her face then turned slightly to face the only male in the room. " How was your take on the first meeting ? "

The two women looked expectantly at him, waiting for his reply.

"If I had known that my girlfriend was going to dump me the way she did, I would've definitely asked Viv out on a date " he unemotionally replied, levelling his gaze onto Rory's hurt face.

Yet she still continued.

"Oh really ?" she replied, unable to think of anything else to say. Eager to change the topic, she impulsively asked the first thing that came to her head, "How did Tristan propose to you?"

Vivienne hesitated in answering because in reality the proposal was anything but romantic. It involved a family meeting, a dining table, a pen and a contract. How romantic indeed.

"Unbelievable, " she ended up replying. " Tristan whisked me away from a hectic day of work and took me out to an unplanned dinner. It was at that moment that I was convinced he was going to propose. You can just imagine how shocked I was when he didn't do it at all during dinner," she said with amusement. " But then he took me out to this little town…we looked up at the stars…that's when he asked me to marry him, " she ended on a deliberate dreamy note.

"How romantic, " Rory sadly whispered as she once again focused on her notebook. "May I have your opinion Tristan, " she continued in the same tone as if she was talking to a complete stranger—a person she never knew.

Tristan rummaged through his brain, trying to think of a suitable answer. He could quit this charade he and Viv were playing and tell her the truth or he could continue to lie through his teeth, intentionally hurting Rory just like she did to him. It wasn't as if he owed her anything.

"It was the best day of my life"

That one sentence had so much negative effect on Rory, but she would never let it show. She wasn't going to give into this psychological war she and Tristan were playing.

Foolishly, she still continued with her questions, not knowing how much more she could take.

" What's the one thing that attracts you to each other the most "

As expected, Vivienne was the first to speak up. " His understanding…his loyalty" she sincerely replied.

There was a pause in the room as the women once again eagerly awaited for Tristan's response.

"Her ability to maintain a lasting relationship "

That was it.

That obvious gripe at her was what finally made give in. Tristan won.

"Can I please use your bathroom " she hastily said, waiting for someone's reply.

" Down the hall- " but Viv didn't even get to finish her sentence as she was already on her way. 

" What the hell was that ? " Tristan hissed when he was sure Rory was out of earshot. 

Unaffected by his tone, Vivienne let out a seductive smile saying, " I just wanted to let her see what she was missing. "

"Wow, Viv, that was _really _thoughtful of you, " Tristan replied, sarcasm evident in his voice 

"But I don't think that was necessary. I – "

But the sound of Viv's distinct laughter halted him from finishing. " Oh _please_ Tristan. Don't try acting like a martyr here. I mean, I have an _ability to maintain a lasting relationship_, " she teasingly impersonated.

Rory, back from her 'toilet break', was fresh and rejuvenated using that time to think things through. She was determined to not take anymore of Tristan's crap thinking she had done enough at trying to get into his good books. If he wasn't going to forgive her for what she did then she there was absolutely no point in even trying.

Slowly, she walked down the expansive space of the hallway trying to conjure up another one of her stupid questions to ask but then the sound of muffled voices slowed her down even more; her intention being slow enough to reach the entrance by the time they had finished their conversation.

But they were still talking by the time she arrived at the entrance of the living room, so she decided to give them a few more moments, intent on using that time to think of a question she still had not come up with. 

" Oh _please_ Tristan. Don't try acting like a martyr here. I mean, I have an _ability to maintain a lasting relationship_" came Vivienne's voice, breaking Rory from her reverie who then started to half-heartedly listen as she still tried to map out what she was going to say. 

"How do you know I wasnt telling the truth? " Tristan countered back with a trademark smirk. 

"That's _hilarious _Tristan." Viv sarcastically replied. Determined not to be defeated she then readily continued, " You cant _honestly _say you have ever loved me, can you ? "

It was at that exact moment Rory's head shot up. It wasn't _what _Vivienne said.

It was _how_ she said it.

It sounded so familiar. So distinct but she couldn't quite put her finger to it.

And then the tape recorder came into her mind; '_You cant honestly say you love this Rory girl can you?_

And then it all fell into place.

Before she could contain herself and realise what she was doing, Rory was on a rampage,

" It was you ! You were that voice in the tape "

The two people situated at the couch, abruptly turned around to face her.

Rory then realised the full extent of what she done. Mentally slapping herself at her utter stupidity at revealing what she had kept for so long, she wished right then and there that an invisible hole would swallow her up and let her die. 

Then, as if to her rescue, someone spoke up, completely relieving Rory of her previous apprehension. 

That person surprisingly came in the form of Vivienne. 

"I think I've got a lot of explaining to do. "

***

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Author's Note: Well guys, there's not much left of this fic. Hopefully* **fingers crossed * **it would be done in 2 or 3 more chapters = )

Anyways, here my chance to thank everyone that has reviewed the last chapter:

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Mandie, Tristanlover, anonymous, southernbend, sam77, meghan, sapphireskies, chikadee, ez, Marie, KaylaW, 11, Grrbabyyea, Dontia

Meghan: Yup she's going to give back the ring I think…just a matter of finding out when = )

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Supergirl101: awww thanks. Well yea.. the interview is done !

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Char-chan: LOL****I have a feeling he'll find out **very **soon. Anyways thanks for being my 100th reviewer!…at least I think you were 

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Little Miss Aly: hehe serious ? how coincidental! ..as for you being not sure how in character Tristan is, don't worry, im not sure either =)

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	7. Falling In Love With You

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Disclaimer : We do not own Gilmore girls, nor do we intend to, but we do own any original characters. The title from the last two chapters were taken from _that _Elvis song. I don't know what its called.* shrugs * Just know that A*teens did a cover of it.

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Rating: PG-13 though it might go as high as R. There _may_ be some minor swearing in chapters.

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Pairing: Trory 

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Chapter Seven: …Falling in Love with You

Tristan squinted his eyes, intent on making out what the increasingly larger sign said. As his car drove ever so closer, he was relieved to find exactly what he wanted to know: Hartford was only one more mile away.

Having the sunroof and driver window open did not even come close to relieving Tristan from the suffocating feeling he experienced from the moment he found out.

The lying.

The deception.

Everything he wanted to know. Everything he should've known a _long_ time ago. 

He could still remember the mute state of shock he was in when Viv explained to him what was going on behind his back. He didn't want to believe it. In fact, he was determined not to, but his mind was never going to rest easy until he got that extra bit of reassurance. 

He needed to hear it from Rory.

"Is it true ?" he reluctantly asked. He then anticipated her answer as if what she was about to say was going to hold the truth: the truth, he hoped, that all of what Viv said was completely untrue. He comforted himself by having a repeated thought in his mind: 'His mother couldn't _possibly _do such a thing'. But then another thought could also be heard played out, threatening to overpower the more sensible one: 'or could she ?'

He then got his answer; an answer that would confirm all his worst fears.

"Yes it is," came Rory's barely audible reply but still it had enough vivacity to be heard from the disbelieving ears of Tristan.

At that moment, anger took over his initially shocked composure; his thoughts now averting to one thing and one thing only: to confront his mother. He then grabbed his keys and bolted out the door unable to hear the persistent pleas from the girls he left behind in the apartment.

Tristan shook his head and forced himself to forget about the previous events of the day. He then focused on slowing his car as he reached the expansive circular driveway of his parent massive mansion; the place that held all his childhood nightmares. He didn't know whether they were caused by the empty feeling the opaque, grey walls gave or the fact that it was the location that housed his parents' numerous, often-vicious fights. 

He couldn't decide. But one thing he was determined to be sure of, as he got out of the car and reached the steps that lead to the door, was the imminent actions he was going to take as soon as he set foot in the house.

The thought of seeing Rory's hurt face when he asked her if all of what Viv said was true, added that extra bit of velocity when he pounded the elaborately designed front door, not even bothering to make use of the doorbell. 

When footsteps could be heard, he then readied himself for what he was about to say. But then all his previous plans and his anger had to be temporarily withheld as he saw who the person was. 

"Father," he said, glancing up at the middle-aged man who resembled him in almost every possible way: hansome, confident and unhappy. Only the signs of old-age from the older Dugrey could be used to determine the two apart.

"Where's Charlotte ?" he asked much to the surprise of his father, who had never heard him call her anything but 'mother' or the occasional 'mom'.

"Charlotte ?, " he repeated, " Don't you mean your mother?"

Tristan thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't think I have one…" came his emotionless reply.

Before his father could even ask what was going on, the sound of his wife's voice filtered the air. 

"Jonathan, who is it ?" she asked her husband, coming down the stairs looking like her normal self with brown hair pulled up in a stylish bun with just a hint of makeup to mask the little blemishes of her still-beautiful face. 

"Oh Tris –"

"How could you ! " he cried, pushing past his father to step inside the house. "How could you be so cruel?"

"Tristan! What's going on ? " intervened Jonathan, standing in between his son and wife. "Why are you so angry ?"

"Ask. _her_" he slowly replied, emphasising each word.

"wh- what are you talking about ? " Charlotte stammered; a rare occurrence as she was always so confident, never one to falter under pressure. Though that had no effect on Tristan and it showed by the way he continued to lash out on her.

"Oh you know _exactly _what I'm talking about. All those _lies _you told Rory and your so-called _plan._ Need I say more ?"

A shocked Charlotte was about to reply, but Tristan continued on,

"Oh wait. I can," he deadpanned, " How could I forget about the tape recorder ?"

"H-how did you find out ? " Mrs. Dugrey ended up replying after a momentary pause, unable to plead her innocence under the venomous glare her son was giving her.

"It doesn't _matter _how I found out. I now know and _nothing _can change that. Nothing can change what you did to Rory…and what you did to me. You _knew_ she was the most important thing in my life and yet _you _had to take that away from me just so I can do what this family expects me to. 

"But have you ever stopped and thought that _maybe _Vivienne can take over ? I mean, it is her _father's _company and she is more than capable in fulfilling the duty than I am! " Tristan cried, shaking his head in frustration, " I can't even _believe_ that you thought I wouldn't find out about this one day. And for what you did, you have to know that I will never, ever forgive you …"

Charlotte Dugrey was never one to cry. But after hearing her son's angry proclamation, she was on the verge of doing just that. Luckily for her, she composed herself before she could fully let it show.

"You may hate me right now, but it cant change _anything_. The whole deal is still taking place. It's too late to back out now Tristan. You have to know where your loyalties lie. Is it to us…or is it to the girl who didn't believe in you…"

"She was under _your _influence! " he snapped. Although he was angry, he reluctantly admitted to himself that she was right. It _was_ too late to change things. 

" If you're trying to take some of the blame off you, well its not working."

"Im not! I know what I did was wrong but you have to realise that I did this for you—for the family. Unlike you, I know where my loyalties lie…I think its time for you to figure out where your's is"

Silence filled the tense atmosphere of the room. Jonathan, desperate to reconcile the two, decided to intervene once again. But before he could, he was interrupted by his son's hasty departure.

" I have to go " Tristan said already halfway out the door.

"Where are you going ?! " Jonathan managed to let out. But he was already gone. 

"He went to Rory, " Charlotte quietly answered for him. "He chose her"

***

Rory subconsciously paced up and down her hotel room, dialling the mobile number that Vivienne gave to her probably for the millionth time that hour.

She was worried. Where could Tristan have gone to ? What could he possibly be thinking ? Why did she have to open her mouth ? Thoughts like these ran through her mind constantly, leaving her composed like a nervous wreck. 

When the doorbell rang, the shrill sound sent shivers up and down her spine causing her to abruptly jump. She snapped out of it, then walked over to the door, oblivious to the fact that all her previous questions that invaded her mind were about to be answered.

A mixture of surprise and relief took over her previously jittery emotions as she opened the door to find a very weary Tristan, leaning against the doorframe, his eyes downcast onto the floor. He looked up and gazed straight into her eyes. 

Rory now knew. She had her Tristan back.

No words were needed to be passed between the two. No words were needed to know what was about to happen next.

He stepped forward, unable to avert his gaze from her crystal blue eyes. He brought a hand up to place it on her cold cheek then slowly leaned forward, blocking out all his surroundings. All that mattered right now was her…

At such close proximity with him, Rory instinctively encircled his waist in a tight, locked embrace, not wanting to ever to let go. She too leaned closer, their lips now millimetres apart…

They both responded to the kiss with equal passion, relishing in the feeling that had become long-lost. It was slow at first, but gradually went deeper. They were lost in their own little world. 

At that moment, neither could be happier.

But one of them knew that they wouldn't be for long.

As they broke apart to catch their breath, Tristan's content smile turned into a frown.

"I'm so sorry, " he murmured, unable to bring himself to say it out loud.

"What do you have to be sorry about?" Rory soothingly said, releasing her hold on his waist then entwining her fingers with his, " If there is someone who needs to be sorry, then it should be me. _Im_ the one who listened to your mother…"

"No," Tristan said, decreasing in volume even more, " I'm sorry for what I'm about to do… "

Rory's previously happy face now turned into a look of worry. Somehow she knew what he was about to say even before it escaped his mouth.

"I cant be with you" 

"No…" Rory whispered as she took a step back letting go of his hand. "No"

"I'm so sorry," he replied, "You don't know how much I want to be with you…but I just cant…it's too late to change things," he finished as he took a step forward in attempt to touch her.

Rory just responded by taking another step back. She couldn't believe what was happening. 

She was going to lose Tristan once again.

"Please…" Rory trailed off as tears started to well up in her eyes. " Please, just…go "

"Rory, " Tristan said in desperation attempting once again to bridge the gap between them. But she held out her hand, signalling for him to stop.

"Please, " she said once again, almost pleadingly pointing towards the door. "we just have to accept things are just not meant to be," she continued, unable to believe her own words.

Reluctantly, he turned around to slowly head towards the door but it wasn't without declaring his feelings for her one last time.

"You know I love you"

When his back was turned, Rory placed a hand over her mouth to mask the uncontrollable sobbing that would soon follow. When he turned around to say he loved her she could do nothing but nod her head, for fear that she would break down in front of him- which was not what she wanted to do. 

He gave her one last look, then slowly closed the door behind him. 

He was out of her life again.

When she was sure he was gone, she released her hand from where it was and then let all her emotions flow.

She was sinking into that feeling she had experienced only once before. The feeling as if her world was crashing down on her.

***

Tristan had never even come _close _to crying before. That's one thing he had in common with his mother.

But there were those occasional times when his emotions were allowed to slip up.

This was one of those moments. Never had he felt so empty as he did right then and as he walked back into the apartment, later that night after some aimless wandering, he took his emotional baggage with him.

Vivienne was at his side almost immediately.

"Tristan ! " she cried, giving him a hug. "Where were you? "

It took a moment for him to reply but when he did, it came out all distant—as if he wasn't paying attention. "At my parents…then at Rory's " 

"Oh," Vivienne said, sympathy evident in her voice. " how did it go ? "

All Tristan said was, "I think I have lost a mother but I know I have lost Rory. " But that one sentence explained it all.

There was a lingering silence, as Vivienne walked up and down the room, obviously in deep thought.

" What if I told you that I had an idea, a _plan _where we could eliminate our problems and live happily ever after or ride into the sunset-- whichever suits your fancy. "

"I'd say that's impossible, " Tristan replied sceptically, still in a melancholy mood.

"Trust me. I've done my research. _This _is going to work. "

"Then what is it ?" he then said, now starting to take her more seriously.

"I'm not sure that you'll like it but just keep in mind that we'll both get what we want in the end— in your case, you can be with Rory again"

"Me being with Rory again ?" he asked, a smile slowly breaking through on his lips. 

Vivienne nodded her agreement.

"Then count me in "

***

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Authors Note: Yes, another cliffhanger but it all has some purpose. This chapter right here is the second last chapter ever so that would make the next one *drum roll * _the last chapter._ Expect it to be sorta long. If it gets a bit too long then I might separate into 2. Well, ill just see how I go.

Anyway, thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed the last chapter! I would go through you all but time permits me from doing so. Thanks again!

Okay well a reviewer asked me to put these petitions up in my authors note . I don't normally read those sort of fics but I know I'd be upset if one of our stories got banned. So here they are..

To sign a petition:   
http://www.petitiononline.com/ffnp1817/petition.html   
http://www.petitiononline.com/ff11/petition.html   
http://www.petitiononline.com/spikes/petition.html   
http://www.petitiononline.com/Trudy/petition.html   
http://www.petitiononline.com/ffnet/petition.html   
http://www.petitiononline.com/keepnc17/petition.html   
http://www.petitiononline.com/fanfics/petition.html   
http://www.petitiononline.com/KEEPNC17/petition.html


	8. But This Much I Know Is True

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Disclaimer : The song for this chapter title is from the Melodie Crittenden song. So yeah I dont own it etc, etc, etc

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Rating: PG-13 though it might go as high as R. There _may_ be some minor swearing in chapters.

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Pairing: Trory 

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Authors Note: Okay this has been a looong time coming, I know. Sorry for that but its here now =) Well at least the first part of it…Yes, the final chapter got too long so I had to separate it into two. Believe me, I tried reading it all together and I almost fell asleep! 

I think this is just the filler though. The part before all the drama/happiness (or whatever you think might happen) begins. And yes, I promise you, I'll update sooner next time. The next part has already been written. It just has to go through revisions and stuff like that. I've also made slight revisions to previous chapters coz the small mistakes really bug me =(… So anyways here it is and thanks for all you're encouraging reviews! 

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I look back on the years I spent  
Just passing through  
I'd like to take the time I lost  
And give it back to you…  


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Final Chapter: [Part One] This much I know is true…

"I Quit"

That declaration came out so single-mindedly and so determined that Megan Trescot almost couldn't recognise who the person on the other line was.

"Rory?" she placidly asked fighting back the urge to be unreasonable and ask what the hell was going on, "Are you okay ?"

A brief pause was what followed as Rory Gilmore then tried to think of a way to answer such a question without giving too much away. 

"Yeah I am" she ended up replying, pronouncing her words carefully so her boss couldn't detect the slight tremble in her voice. 

"If you're okay then why did you say something that is bordering insane like quitting? And if you're okay…" Megan trailed off, taking a swift intake of breath before resuming, "… then why are you calling me? We made a pact that you'd only give me a ring if an emergency was to come up. You shouldn't be wasting your time telling me bad jokes Gilmore. You actually have a job to do." 

"No I don't" Rory evenly responded in the same tone, " I told you already. I quit"

"You can't do that!" the anger in Megan's voice was now clearly seeping through, 

" Do you realise how much money this article is costing us? If you leave at a time like this, I can _guarantee _that you will not have a job to come back home to. But _please_ Rory, I don't want to come down to that. You are one of my most valued employees and for you to leave would have a significant effect on this magazine…and believe me, a significant effect to your career "

"I'm sorry Megan" Rory replied, her effort to be defiant slowly starting to dissolve into sympathy, "But I just can't do this anymore…" 

Not waiting for her boss to fill in the tense silence that followed, Rory took it as the perfect opportunity to continue-- and hopefully put an end to the conversation.

"My formal resignation will be at your desk in a few days time. You still have two months to get a replacement and I know that whoever you choose will do a much better job than what I could've done." Still there was no reply. "So I guess this is goodbye…"

" Hold on" Megan finally spoke up much to the surprise of the younger girl as she was almost convinced that the sound of a voiceless dial tone would be heard right about now "Before you go, do me a favour and answer a simple question"

"Fine" Rory responded somewhat reluctantly.

"Why are you quitting ?" 

It was a question that Rory knew she'd have to answer sooner or later. 

So prepared she was for it that she already had what she was going to say all planned out. It was an answer that was completely false but if well executed, it could've easily fooled anyone- even the cynical type like Megan.

But it all went down the drain as Rory's guilty conscience pointed out that she owed it to her not just as a boss but also as a friend to tell her the truth. It would be hard to lie to someone who had probably been her only support in the four years she had been in L.A. 

"I cant interview a guy on how much he loves his fiancee," she belatedly replied, "when I'm in love with him myself."

**

As soon as the conversation ended, Rory clicked the phone back open only to punch in a number that was so familiar but has lately rarely been dialled. As she waited for someone to pick up, she curled herself into a ball on the couch listening to the plodding rings continue to go by unanswered.

"H-hello ?" came the sound of a weary male voice. It was at that moment that Rory made a note to see what the time was. Glancing at her watch she winced to find that it was well over midnight.

Inwardly chastising herself but realising it was too late to turn back now, she then made an effort to reply to the man who has been her father-in-law for a good four years.

"Hey Luke I know its really late but -- "

"--I'll go get your mom," he replied already knowing what she was going to ask before it even escaped from her mouth. "Oh and Rory", he continued in the midst of a yawn, "its really nice to hear from you again"

She smiled at hearing the conventionally manly Luke giving out such a remark of affection but it turned upside down at the sound of her mothers worried voice. "Hey honey what's wrong? I mean, you wouldn't wake me up in the middle of the night for no reason-" she paused. " -not unless you're the child of Satan, so spill."

She wanted to tell her everything; pour her heart out to one of the few people that knew her inside out. But she knew that there was no need for hastiness. She'd have plenty of time soon enough…

"I'm going back to where I belong mom, " Rory replied distantly, her thoughts focusing elsewhere, "I'm going home"

**

The room was small; tacky to say at the very least. The mud brown walls, bare, with only a few antique paintings to add some much needed life to the dark, dreary place. 

Filling up the limited space were the large pews aligned in two orderly sections; separated to form a narrow path that led straight to the most attractive feature of the room: the altar.

It was adorned with flowers and musk scented candles that could have probably been smelt from a mile away. Only the sight of a large organ in the background dared to defy the prettiness of the feature.

"Are you sure we're doing the right thing ?" Vivienne asked nervously, breaking the silence that fell upon her and Tristan the moment they set foot into the desolate room.

"Viv this was your idea," he answered benignly, hoping to change the tense mood.

"Yeah, I know its just that…" she stopped to focus on her surroundings once again," this is not how I pictured my first wedding to be like," she continued trying to sound serious but the smile tugging on her lips showed otherwise.

This small wedding chapel on the outskirts of New York provided the scenery for what was supposed to be 'the wedding of the year'. 

No guests would be there though—except for a few essential witnesses taken from the streets and sworn to secrecy. The actual ceremony would be quick, informal and kept in secret: away from the prying eyes of the often-brutal media. Just the way the 'couple' wanted it to be. 

It was now only a matter of time until Vivienne's plan would take into effect.

***

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- flashback

"… remember that contract we signed at that preliminary engagement party ?" Vivienne asked a bored Tristan who then tiredly nodded his head in understanding.

"Well its not what's _in _there that's important; its what's _not _in there that really counts"

"Go on," he urged, slightly intrigued.

"Before daddy passed away he stated in his will that the company would remain in his name until we get married, or hitched to put it more bluntly. And then, shock horror, "Viv added to tease, "it would then be passed over to you.

"Obviously he thought that he'd live to see the day that happened…"her voice then started to falter a little "… so he didn't bother to change his will. We're _still_ not married so that means that the company is _still_ not exactly your's. Instead, it's in the hands of the CEO, Colin Richardson-- a man I don't fully trust." She then stopped to pour down a glass of water in her unused cup.

"Which brings me to flaw number one in the contract"

Tristan was taken aback but not altogether surprised at his fiancee's formality.

"They said we were to marry." He was confused. _How was that a flaw ?_ "But," she continued noticing his distress, "they never said _when_."

"What are you getting at Viv ?"

"Patience Tristan," she silenced him mockingly, "all would be explained"

"Whatever you say," he conceded with a shrug as he leant back in his chair awaiting the 'explanation'.

"Flaw number two. They never said we couldn't annul the marriage; make it void, at least on paper"

Tristan sat back up, the pieces slowly starting to fit together. "So you're saying that we get married and annul it straight after ?" he asked. " But I just don't see the point-"

"-there's just one tiny detail you're forgetting," she interrupted with a sly grin, waving her index finger condescendingly at him, "You do know the moment we marry- no matter how long it lasts- the company would be yours. You have the freedom to do whatever you want with it. You can even do a silly thing like oh, I don't know…" she halted momentarily pretending to think about it, "…sign it over to me ?"

Tristan chuckled at the thought that this seemingly innocent female in front of him could be capable of being so conniving.

The intentions were clear now but Vivienne took it upon herself to elaborate anyway.

"And when that is done, there'd be no need for us to be married. I've got what I want and you, Tristan, have got your freedom—although I do warn you that it might take a couple of months for the annulment to be resolved but even then, no one will found out. And even if someone does it'll be too late for _anyone_ to do _anything_ about it."

Tristan then gave her another moment to make sure she was finished.

But apparently she wasn't done just yet.

"I also think we should do it sometime soon. Like tomorrow kind of soon."

"Tomorrow ?" he asked numbly, the gladness he felt from actually getting a word in quickly disappearing, "but why ?"

"If you want to get the annulment papers done and announce to the whole world that there isn't going to be a wedding in 2 months time, then I think we should. Then there's the issue of Colin. I don't _trust _him after his involvement in the security scandal last year. The only reason why his ass is still safe is because my father was such a nice man. He couldn't help but forgive a pathetic loser who was willing to grovel at his feet." Then the expression on her face slowly changed, abolishing the previous harshness that was plastered on it.

"And then there's Rory, " she trailed off, her voice now considerably gentler, " you have to realise that she wont wait for you forever"

****

- End Flashback

***

Tristan sat himself down on a carpeted step at the front of the room, waiting for his cue. He tried to feel happy about what they were about to do but feeling stupid overweighed that emotion. He couldn't believe that he actually thought that once this was all done and once he was free, that Rory would just come back to him and accept him with open arms.

She was too smart for that, too independent.

Although he would never admit it, he was scared. Scared at the fact that she'd turn him down. Scared at the fact that what he was doing right now would be all for nothing.

Then the sound of the distinctive wedding tunes being heard played out on the archaic organ interrupted Tristan's contemplation and signified the arrival of Vivienne. 

The ceremony had now begun.

**

t b c


	9. God Blessed The Broken Road That Led Me ...

****

Authors Note: **hello. I swear this time this is the finale lol. I actually had fun writing this chapter (well the later parts), more than any other chapter so hopefully you'll like it =)**

*

But you just smile and take my hand.  
You've been there, you understand,  
It's all part of a grander plan  
That is about to come true…  


*

****

Final Chapter [part two]: God Blessed The Broken Road That Led Me Straight To You

Everyone's first wedding is supposed to be memorable; something to cherish for the rest of your life. 

That didn't apply to Tristan Dugrey.

As he got out of his car and stepped onto the soft, resilient grass, he thought to himself just how wrong that statement was.

It had been two days since the wedding. Two days filled with papers to sign and errands to run. Two days since he last had any decent sleep.

To keep himself awake and in turn preventing him from passing out before reached the house, he let his mind drift over to numerous thoughts. 

One of them was Vivienne; that strong, _unpredictable_ but intelligent woman. She alone proved that there was more to a person than meets the eye, making him cringe at his idiocy for misjudging her in the beginning. 

He also thought about what was to happen to them as they go their separate ways. He knew she'd fall in love some day; it was all just a matter time and finding the right person.

Whoever it was, would have a tough job ahead of them but anyone who'd be capable of breaking her down emotionally and allowing her to love, would be a lucky man nonetheless.

But now wasn't the time to think about another woman and her future when soon enough he'd have to do something that would truly determine his.

Tristan was now on his way to the front door of the house, closing his eyes momentarily as let the cool water from the sprinklers form small blotches on his army green wife-beater and light faded jeans. 

He initially went to her hotel but on his arrival found out that she had checked out almost two days before. Then he called the office headquarters of her magazine, clinging onto an unfounded hope that they'd know where she was. 

But then he found out that she quit.

That left only one other option.

As he reached the porch, the creaky floorboards started to make a soft noise, distinguishing his every move until he stopped and reached the whitewashed door. Bringing a hand up to give it a knock, he hesitated for a second, then brought it back up again, this time knowing for sure he was going to go through with it.

__

'From now on, there's going to be no turning back.'

The door opened a few moments later by a pyjama clad Lorelai, clutching onto a tub of ice-cream.

"Tristan?" she asked bewildered, as she stole a few nervous glances over her shoulder, acting like a teenager about to get caught by her parents.

"Hey Lorelai," he answered coolly, giving her a small peck on the cheek, "Is Rory there ?" 

"Rory ?" she repeated, "yes, I mean, _no_ she's not here" she continued unconvincingly, berating herself at her stupidity by slapping her free hand on her forehead then disguising it by casually leaning on the doorway.

But Tristan could see right through her lie.

"I just need to talk to her, that's all"

It was a decision that she certainly didn't want to make. Was she going to tell him to go back home and witness the dejected face of the guy she knew her daughter loved leave or would she let him in, against Rory's wishes and let them sort out their problems.

Luckily a voice from behind answered the dilemma for her. 

"It's okay mom," Rory quietly said walking towards the small vacant space the doorway provided, "I want to talk to him too"

Relieved to finally get away before her mouth could cause some serious damage, Lorelai then wandered off into the living room, leaving the two alone. 

They stood only centimetres apart; Tristan looking, _searching_, for any emotion that would convey what she was currently feeling. Rory just stared straight ahead of her, motionless, unable to think of what to say. 

Frustrated at their uncustomary awkwardness, she then took it upon herself to break the ice. Placing her cold hands in his, she tilted her head up to finally look directly at him, giving away the emotion of hope, "Meet me at the spot at eight o'clock. We'll talk then."

Tristan gave her a small smile as he squeezed her hands just before she turned around and silently closed the door behind her.

No words were needed to show that he was thankful.

***

As soon as Rory stepped into her house and looked into her mother's shocked face staring at the tv, she knew something bad was just about to spoil her newly found happy mood.

"Mom, what's wrong ?"

Finally noticing her daughter was back inside, Lorelai flung herself at the television, trying vainly to cover up what it was showing.

But it didn't matter for the sound of the reporter's voice filled the room,

****

"Congratulations go out to Tristan Dugrey and Vivienne Westmore over their apparent nuptials. It comes as a shock that they would bring their wedding forward, especially since it was scheduled to be held in two months time. Sources say that the cause for this secret wedding was that they were so much in love, they just couldn't wait…"

Every word said from then on failed to comprehend in her mind. Shocked but unmoved, she mechanically walked the few steps to her room, unable to hear her mother's impending voice, persistently telling her she was sorry.

**

****

Vivienne attempted to ignite the engine of her car for probably the millionth time in 5 minutes.

Being in an unfamiliar town, at a time when darkness was about to prevail, only fuelled her panic and increased the amount of regret she felt for even considering to go to Star's Hallow in hope of explaining to Rory what exactly happened between Tristan and her. She also wanted to convince her that the way the media was portraying everything was taken way out of proportion and was just all a pack of lies.

'Hi. Need any help there ?" asked a deep voice from outside, tapping the window opposite the drivers end in effort to get the attention from the girl in the car.

But it went unheard as Viv continued to turn the key over, trying to start up the noisy engine.

Realising that he was going unnoticed, the man walked over to the other side then tapped the window again, now confident that he would be heard.

Viv jumped up at the clicking sound and looked up to see the face of a tall good-looking guy saying something inaudible due to the barrier of the glass between them. 

"Do you need any help ?" he asked clearly as she proceeded to get out of her vehicle to make the communication easier. "And don't worry. Im not just some hot-blooded male here to pounce and make a move on you. I can honestly say that I know a few things about cars. "

"Well yeah I'd love some help" Viv replied a bit too eagerly, embarrassed enormously not just by her actions but also by the way he gave the occasional fleeting but otherwise uninterested glances towards her. " I mean yeah, that would be really nice…umm…" she stopped as she realised she didn't even know his name.

He then gave her a wide smile that sent her heart reluctantly fluttering.

"My name is Dean. Dean Forrester. "

**

Every time Rory got the nerve to get pass the front door of her house and go on her way to meet Tristan, a constant reminder of what he was going to inevitably tell her stopped her from going beyond the steps of her porch. 

She convinced herself that the only reason why he wanted to talk was to personally tell her that he was now a married man before anyone could. 

It just seemed like the honourable thing to do.

"But I now know, so there isn't any need for me to be there," Rory said to herself as continued to stare at the idle photograph in her hand. 

The picture, taken by Lane before she moved to Boston to start her new life with Henry, showed Rory with a sheepish grin on her face looking at the ground, with Tristan holding her hand and leaning over to her ear, murmuring something that would only be heard between the two of them. 

They didn't even know that the picture was taken at the time which only increased the amount of value it held on Rory because to her, it captured them; the _real _them unlike the numerous other photos when they were forced to put on a smile.

She looked at it one more time before she placed back in its frame and into the drawer, once again shielded again from the outside world. Frustrated, she hunched over and placed her head in her hands thinking,

__

'where did it all go wrong ?'

"Why don't you just go" came her mother's gentle voice whose tall figure was standing in her doorway.

"I cant" 

"Why not ?" Lorelai countered, now beside her daughter with an arm around her drooping shoulders, " What are you so afraid of ?" 

"I don't know" she dumbly replied, knowing the answer but unable to get it out.

Lorelai then let a few moments of silence flitter between them. " Are you scared that you wont believe what he'll say ?"

At her mother's words, Rory sat up stiffly; the air seeming to thin around as she came to a startling realisation: 

Not believing in him was the result of why everything turned out the way it did.

It was just as much her fault as it was Charlotte's for the end of her relationship with Tristan. 

If she had only ignored her, and believed that he wouldn't say what he did in the first place, she wouldn't have taken Mrs. Dugrey's revelation personally-- and most importantly, she wouldn't have cracked under pressure and broken up with him… 

But as got up and rummaged through her suitcase for a particular item, she induced herself, without any question, that she wouldn't let that same mistake happen twice. 

She would listen to what he had to say.

"I have to go mom" Rory hastily said, clutching onto the small object as she gave her a quick hug before she rushed out the door. 

She then started praying fervently, wishing that he'd still be there -- wishing that she still had time to turn things around.

**

It was now nine-thirty.

He was losing his patience. But he wasn't losing hope.

As he squatted down to the bottom of the large tree overlooking the lake that was illuminated by the full moon's ethereal glow, he dusted off a few pieces of stray bark to find something he had been searching for the last few minutes to kill away the time.

The corners of his mouth reluctantly twitched into a full-fledged grin.

****

RT4EVER it said in big block letters surrounded by a crooked heart giving it a touch of femininity- obviously added by Rory.

He then slowly stood upright facing the tree. Without warning his fist collided with the rough surface of the trunk, forming small bruises and cuts on his knuckles. Surprisingly, after his brutal actions, he felt much better- almost a sense of relief to finally let out his anger.

Tristan sighed as he allowed himself to remember. They were nineteen at the time: young and naïve.

He would give just about anything to go back to that.

"Why Dugrey," came a playful voice nearby. He turned around just in time to see the person come out of it's shadow. It was Rory. " Don't tell me your bad boy instincts are starting to come back to you. I mean, here I was thinking that you actually learned a thing or two when we were together…"

He plastered on a trademark smirk, cocking his head to one side giving out a look that basically said 'Oh really now.' Having to wait almost 2 hours for her arrival now seemed like a distant memory to him…

"But then again," Rory continued, walking over to the lake as she slipped off her sandals and dangled her feet in the water " the bad boy was the person I fell in love with"

"Well you're just in luck because I still have a lot of that left in me," Tristan joked, taking a place next to her and following in suit, " so does that mean…?" he broke off leaving her to detect his hidden innuendo.

He saw a wide smile on her face, then it suddenly disappeared displaying the seriousness of what she was about to say.

"I know you're married. Its all over the news."

Visibly startled, he then started to shake his head slowly as he ran a frustrated hand through his tousled hair.

"I can explain_, _" he began in a confused state much to the amusement of Rory, "I'm not, I mean I _was --_ but not anymore. I swear – " 

Tristan then felt a hand on his neck, simultaneously feeling her cold lips crash down on his.

"Don't worry, " she murmured, kissing him again, this time more slowly until they broke apart for air " I believe you"

He responded by reaching for her hand and grazing his sore thumb over her smooth, slender fingers. At the gesture, Rory then remembered what she had been trying to give him on numerous occasions but failed inexplicably for some reason or another. 

__

'Maybe that's what its purpose was. To hold out until we were together again' she ashamedly thought as she reached for the encased ring in her pocket. Although it sounded romantic she knew that it just couldn't be true. After all, he probably didn't even know it was missing.

"I have something that you might like to have back," she stated almost shyly, as she placed it in his free hand.

She watched him open the small box and look at it for a few seconds which felt like a few painful hours. To her horror he then registered a look of confusion on his face. But then he smiled.

" No, it's yours" he persisted, gently thrusting it back towards her. " I gave it to you "

"You didn't," she corrected him as she handed over the ring in what was to be a bizarre display of tug-of-war, "I found it on my bed"

"I knew all along it was with you," he said solemnly as if rehashing a painful time in his life, "I went past it Rory -- the night you broke up with me. I saw it _lying _there. I mean, I could've easily picked it up on my way out but I chose to leave it where it was. You see," he then averted his serious gaze away from her face as if he was about to utter something humiliating, " I had this deluded idea that maybe when you saw it, you might reconsider going to L.A. I thought this ring could bring us together again. It turns out, we didn't even need it's help. "

He then diligently took it out of it's casing before positioning it on the palm of her hand, using his own to gently curl hers into a fist.

"So keep it. Think of it a symbol of my promise that from now on… " he briefly stalled to look lovingly into her eyes, " I wont let anything keep us apart."

Rory bit her lip to keep the tears that she had recently promised to never fall intact. As a distraction, she leaned in closer, brushing her cheek against his as if to give him a kiss. But instead, she whispered cheekily into his ear "I'll give you a race"

Reasonably amused at her ability to tantalise him, he was determined not to be outdone. "You're on" he challenged as they both got up in unison, each vying for the much needed headstart.

A mild breeze then filled the air, carrying a vast array of tattered leaves that floated up in the sky before creating a colourful mess on the ground.

It went unnoticed by Tristan and Rory, as they both lapped up and basked in their well-deserved and much needed happiness. 

It would have been easy to mistake the distinct cries of laughter and scurrying of feet in the dead of the night for a pair of reckless teenagers. 

But it wasn't.

It was a pair of fully grown adults reliving their former selves, gradually wearing away the wounds from the past with each step they took …and each moment they spent together reunited. 

**

****

- finis

Last Authors Note: Its finally finished!!! I'm sorry for torturing you guys at this (at times) very depressing story but I didn't know how to do it any other way =(

I'm sorry to all you American's out there who probably thought I spelt things funny but yea..I'm from Australia so that should explain a few things.

Lastly thank you to everyone that has reviewed and given me their support. It meant _so _much to me especially at the times when I wanted to destroy this and discontinue for some reason that has already escaped my mind (probably pms.) 

So yea once again, it was fun and I hope anyone that has read that this has somehow enjoyed it—even though it can be so damn depressing =)

Kay ****

P.S – watch out for Liz's new fic! It should be out soon so yea…go check it out =) 


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